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grammar question

bkmiller69

bkmiller69

United States







In the following sentence, why can’t the answer be “since” also?



Lucy is crying __ she fell down.





1. because



2. since


12:25 AM Jul 14 2015 |

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Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

Good question! And a difficult question to answer.


It’s true that because and since are often used as synonyms. But since can also mean “from the time that,” as in, “We have been friends since we were kids.” Or another example, “I have been awake since 5:00 a.m.” In these sentences, since is used to show how much time has passed.


The problem with using the word since in your sentence is that it can have two meanings. It can mean that falling down made Lucy cry (when since means because), or it can mean that Lucy is crying from the time that she fell down (when since shows how much time has passed.)


In this instance, it is best to choose the word that has only one meaning: because


I hope this helps!


Best,


Amy


03:33 AM Jul 16 2015 |

bkmiller69

bkmiller69

United States

Thank you Amy. But it isn’t my sentence. It is a sentence in the grammar section of Englishbaby. My students thought both were correct.

11:50 PM Jul 16 2015 |

Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

I understand now. It was a quiz question on our website to test your understanding of conjunctions. Is that right?


I will change the choices from “because or since” to “because or before.” I think that will make the answer more obvious!


Thank you for your feedback. :-)


Best,


Amy

12:43 AM Jul 17 2015 |